An analytics firm has handed Microsoft the games publishing crown. With almost half a billion in spending, Microsoft's multiplatform strategy is paying off for Xbox, at least according to this analysis.

Data firm Ampere has released some interesting stats about the month of December in gaming - stats that name Microsoft as the top publisher in the world for the final month of 2024. According to the analyst group, $465 million was spent on Xbox games last month, making Microsoft the biggest publisher across Xbox, PlayStation and PC.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has clarified the company's strategy regarding console-exclusive games and the future of the Xbox platform.

The officially-licensed baseball game is notable for being PlayStation's only franchise to launch on Xbox consoles and turn up day one on Game Pass. This year's entry, however, will skip Microsoft's subscription service for the first time since 2021.

Xbox has mixed up its strategy over the past year - releasing four titles across Sony and Nintendo's platforms, and pushing a new marketing campaign making pretty much every device an Xbox. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has also mentioned how there are "no red lines" in terms of the software Xbox releases on other platforms going forward.

MLB The Show 25 is making some big changes for 2025. Sony’s annual baseball franchise revealed this week that it won’t be coming to Xbox Game Pass this year and it’s also ditching Sony’s last-gen console, though it’s still coming to Nintendo Switch.